Connecting things to the Internet is the latest craze, allowing users the ability to remote control and monitor devices like cooking appliances, lights, home cameras, sports gear, electronics, sprinklers, and anything else one could imagine. They are becoming commonplace in homes, hospitals, office environments, stores, and all manner of vehicles. It seems that any normal device becomes even better if you can remotely connect to it.

A while back our blog post, This Year at Black Hat: Danger Drones and Thermostat Ransomware, discussed some of the most interesting hacks demonstrated at the conference. Personally, in the last few months I've come across articles on some of the most interesting and worrisome hacks, ransomware and displays of potential hacks that I have ever seen, including:

‘Cat-Loving’ Mobile Ransomware

McAfee Labs Mobile Malware Research team found a sample of ransomware for Android with botnet capabilities and a web-based control panel service.

The payload of this malware can encrypt a victim’s files, steal SMS messages, and block access to the device. In this variant the malware’s authors included a picture of a cat:

Hacking a connected thermostat

At a recent DEF CON event, Andrew Tierney and Ken Munro of PenTest Partners, were able to exploit some vulnerability in a thermostat to display a scenario that demonstrated the potential dangers.

They simply froze it and posted a message saying pay a Bitcoin to regain control. This could have got bad if they were criminals. They could have increased the temperature so that the house melts under heat and utility bills. In such a case, the owner of the thermostat would have had to pay whatever amount the criminals asked.

Controlling a Jeep's steering and acceleration

To show
what could happen the next time sophisticated hackers find a wireless foothold on a vehicle’s network automotive cybersecurity researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek displayed a full-speed attack on the Jeep’s steering and acceleration. You can see the video of this on Wired.com here.

So Spiceheads, I want to know - What are some of the most interesting hacks, ransomware samples and potential hacks you have learned about lately? Which ones do you think are the most realistic and are most likely to be on the rise in the next few years?